It has been established for several decades now that there is a close link between environmental protection and development. The constraints of development in a context where poverty drives accelerated exploitation of natural resources create a risk that meeting immediate needs will be approached with a short-term vision, thereby compromising both sustainability and the future of generations to come. The risk is even greater as our needs grow rapidly, in line with a booming population.
However, it is not a question of compromising the survival of the population through environmental protection measures that hinder the country’s economic development—and vice versa.
PREPEP’s policy in this area will be guided by the search for a compromise between two apparently contradictory or irreconcilable imperatives:
Economic development in a healthy environment.
Fortunately, the possibilities for such a compromise do exist; in short, it is about promoting sustainable development.